New Moon Girls Magazine

Group of black dolls photo from the early 1900s to mid-2000s, first published in Wikipedia for the "black doll" entry I added in the mid-2000s; (the entry has since been revised by other Wikipedia editors).

In late-April 2020, I was contacted by Mr. Joe Kelly the co-founder and co-managing editor of New Moon Girls magazine who asked for permission to use the above photograph in the summer 2020 issue of this publication. The photograph is included in the article, "Playing With Dolls," which was written by New Moon Girls members. Readers were surveyed and girls shared their doll stories.

New Moon Girls is described as follows:

We are the original girl-created media. Girl editors, writers, artists and creators from around the world direct our content. They work with adults using our pioneering Share the Power method.

New Moon Girls provides innovative, safe, respectful, and advertising-free spaces online and in the magazine where girls develop their full potential through compassion, creativity, and community.

NMG is for every girl who wants her voice heard and her dreams taken seriously in the world.

 I am honored to have been asked to contribute the photo for the "girls'" article.

NMG is for girls ages 8 to 14 (but I enjoyed it, too!). Visit the NMG website at the URL link below where you can download a past issue for free.

https://newmoongirls.com/

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
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Who We Are

The above statement is a rephrased definition of an art collector. In addition to being plangonologists, do you agree that this rephrased definition fits doll collectors?

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Maryland Society of Doll Collectors Luncheon Dolls

This is the limited edition box designed by Goldie Wilson for the limited edition dolls created for Maryland Society of Doll Collectors' 2020 Luncheon.

The Maryland Society of Doll Clubs was scheduled to have its annual luncheon on April 25, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the luncheon was initially postponed and later canceled. The luncheon dolls by Goldie Wilson, the associated literature, and favors were mailed out recently. The last of my items arrived this week, having been shipped from two different locations. This is the reveal of the fabulous handcrafted items by the extraordinarily gifted and creative, doll artist, Goldie Wilson.

The theme of the luncheon was Wonderland as in Alice in Wonderland, but this Alice is African American and the limited edition Queen of Hearts is too!

Queen of Hearts

Queen of Hearts was produced in a limited edition of 12 dolls. She arrived in the special box, shown above, that Goldie decorated with handpainted images of Alice, the Mad Hatter, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee who are all African American, too!

This is a close-up of the hand-painted Alice on the Queen's box.

And this is the Queen of Hearts!  She is a 14-inch porcelain doll with a cloth body dressed in a Queen of Hearts theme which includes a jeweled crown and a scepter. The white bodice of her dress has multiple white hearts. The puffed sleeves are made from red and white check fabric. She has a white tulle collar.

The center fabric used for the skirt of her dress has a playing-card theme. The same white fabric used for the bodice was used for the rest of the skirt. Red tulle extends around the sides and back. The skirt has a crinoline lining. 

The Queen of Hearts wears red and pink heart-print pantaloons and black painted-on shoes.

This close-up provides a better look at the facial painting which includes a heart in the center of her lips and heavy red eyeshadow. Her stationary eyes are brown.

This is a better close-up to illustrate the jewels on her shimmering silver crown that was also made by Goldie.

The Queen's scepter is accented with a Queen of Hearts card, of course!

Attached to the inside flap of the Queen's decorative box is none other than the white rabbit, also made by Goldie.

White Rabbit

Here is a close up of White Rabbit still attached to the box flap. He holds keys in his left hand.

Below White Rabbit is written:
"Alice saw a white rabbit hurry by.
Looking at his pocket watch and
Talking to himself. Alice thought
That was very curious indeed a
Talking rabbit with a pocket watch!
So she followed him into a rabbit hole
Beneath a big tree,
And down she [felled], down to the
Center of the world, it seemed."

White Rabbit was released from the box attachment to take this photo and the next three that follow. Here he holds his pocket watch and his keys.

The front of White Rabbit's pocket watch is a clear dome. "I'm late" is written underneath the dome.

The back of his pocket watch reads "Property of W. Rabbit." (Too cute!)

White Rabbit has white looped yarn hair and a white looped yarn tail. He's dressed in a black and white check vest and a black top hat.

Black Alice!

Black Alice's decorated box is shown here with a closeup of the box illustration shown next.

This illustration of Alice was hand-drawn by Goldie.

Alice in Wonderland by Goldie Wilson

Alice in Wonderland arrived separately in her own box (shown above) which was also decorated by Goldie. Like Queen of Hearts, Alice is also a 14-inch porcelain doll with a cloth body. She wears a light blue print dress with a white pinafore, painted-on white tights, and painted-on black shoes.

Alice has a lovely face. Her eyes are also brown and stationary.

She has a beautiful wig that was also handmade by Goldie.

This is a full-length view of Alice from behind.

Did you wonder why there was extra space in the Queen's box? If you guessed it is for Alice, you are correct! The two fit perfectly in the box.

The White Rabbit, Queen of Hearts, and Alice in Wonderland are shown in the decorative box. Both dolls came with felt-bottom doll stands.

As the certificate of authenticity (COA) indicates, Alice is an upgraded version made for this limited edition box. (The other Alice luncheon dolls wear the traditional solid blue Alice in Wonderland-style dress underneath a white pinafore.)

The Extras!

Shown on the top is Alice's 8 x 10 inch framed story with artwork by Goldie Wilson. Next to the framed story is the dolls' COA. On the bottom are the menu that would have been served at the luncheon had it not been canceled and the luncheon souvenir book.

This is a mixture of favors and hostess gifts and includes a black-and-cream-colored zippered pouch (a hostess gift from Chairperson Stacia Pate) an Alice in Wonderland bookmark, a set of five African American Alice in Wonderland (AIW) greeting cards by Diana E. Vining (another hostess gift), an AIW decorated box of candy, an AIW fabric-covered composition book, and black-and-white-trimmed sticky notes (Goldie sent the sticky notes to me; I am not sure if everyone received these; thank you, Goldie!). 

In this photo, is a close-up of one of the assorted AIW-themed greeting cards by Diana E. Vining. (These greeting cards were a gift to me  — thank you, again, Stacia!)

This final photo shows thumbnail images of all the greeting cards that are in this package. The Sending Love and Thank You cards feature the Queen of Hearts. Alice in Wonderland is illustrated on the Get Well Soon, Happy Birthday, and Thinking of You greetings.

Everything is more amazing than the pictures can possibly portray.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

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Doll Gifts

Aaron wants to know what's inside this birthday gift shipment from my best doll-friend, Debra R.

The box Aaron is wondering about arrived more than a week before my birthday last month. I waited until the day of my birthday to open it to share with Aaron what was inside. Several non-doll-related items were also in the box. In this blog post, I am only sharing the doll that was inside.

I love everything that was in these beautifully-wrapped gifts from Debra R. Only one contained a doll.

Best to a Tea Barbie is the doll that Debra R. sent me. (She knows I collect African American Silkstone Barbies.)

An illustration of Best to a Tea Barbie is on the cover of the doll's box.

Based on Mattel's description, modified slightly: Designed by Robert Best for Mattel, the second of four dolls in this final Barbie Fashion Model series, Best To a Tea Barbie, is ready for high tea. She wears a cream-colored bouclé suit ensemble, a ruffled blouse, and a chic fascinator. Delicate black gloves, black tights, and stylish black booties complete her sleek look.

I took several additional pictures of this lovely doll.

She is presented in a dark pink-lined box.

This is a close-up of her lovely face and fascinator.

In addition to her cream bouclé two-piece suit, she wears a white ruffled lace blouse.

Black gloves and black opaque tights accent her fashion.

A doll stand and certificate of authenticity are included with Best to a Tea Barbie.

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The week of my birthday, I received notification from the post office that a package was scheduled to arrive the day after my birthday. Based on the shipped-from city and state, I correctly guessed that package was from doll-friend, sister-in-Christ, Betty A.  Aaron didn't have to wait to find out what was inside Betty's package, which actually arrived on my birthday.

Color Me Childhood Friends book of paper dolls to color with separate pre-colored sheets of the paper dolls and a hand-crafted magnet by Diana E. Vining were in the package from Betty A.

The paper dolls inside the spiral paper doll book are blank for the user to color.  The clothes for each doll are also blank for coloring. This is paper doll A.

This is paper doll B.

This is paper doll C.

This adorable hand-crafted magnet by Diana E. Vining is captioned, "I Love Dolls!" The girl in the illustration hugs three of the doll she loves.

******

A surprise gift arrived shortly after my birthday. It was a just-because gift from another doll friend.

5-inch Mickey Mouse Boy Doll and Wendy Doll as Minnie Mouse

This pair of boxed 5-inch hard plastic dolls by Madame Alexander represent Mickey and Minnie Mouse. They both wear mouse ears hats and painted-on yellow clogs. Mickey has a painted-on leotard and red fabric pants that have two yellow painted on buttons at the waist. Minnie's fabric dress is red with white polka dots on the skirt.  The dress has a yellow ribbon at the neck. Minnie wears black undies and painted-on tights. Mickey's hair is sculpted. Minnie's is synthetic fibers. They both have wrist tags that indicate they were McDonald's exclusives. I am not sure where the boxed versions were originally sold.

I already had these, but mine were in baggies, purchased from McDonald's in 2004 or 2005 (the copyright year is 2004, so they were probably at McDonald's the following year).

This is the package my original Mickey Mouse Boy Doll came in. 

Given as Happy Meal premiums, the bagged dolls could also be purchased separately at some McDonald's franchises. (The original girl that I purchased is missing in action, but she is shown in this vintage picture with the original boy on the far left as evidence that she is here somewhere. I have no idea where she is hiding. I hope to find Minnie soon.)

The above photo was taken a few years ago after the same friend who sent Mickey and Minnie Mouse gave me the Madame Alexander display stand on which the 5-inch Madame Alexander McDonald's-exclusive dolls stand.

My original Mickey Mouse Boy doll is shown in this final photo with the boxed dolls. (As soon as I find the original Minnie, she will join these three.)

******

Thank you again, Debra R., Betty A, and the friend who gave me Mickey, Minnie, and the display stand.🥰 (Doll collectors give the best gifts!)

Of course, since my birthday, I have gifted myself with several dolls, too. Posts about those purchases will follow later.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!